Looking forward . . . . .

After a quiet Christmas and end to 2020 I felt 2021 was definitely going to be at a steadier pace. Last year has certainly shown me that a slower pace suits me much better with my mental health and my business. I love how my business grows and is authentic which naturally shows me the direction in which it wants to take.

January was the start of yet another national lock down but this time I decided to take time for myself. We’ve all coped in different ways with Covid and how it’s effected us all individually. If I’m honest I could'n’t deal with any more pressure and so I picked up my running shoes a little more and enjoyed the beautiful changes that winter brought. I think Mother Nature has really shown us all that we need to look after ourselves a lot better.

I embraced time with my daughter which had aloud us to be together and just enjoy those magical days our special bond brings. A highlight for me was walking to The Little Shed, Allestree which is a tea room near our village. It was my birthday and my little one bought us hot chocolates with her pocket money, little memories made which meant the world!

Last year I had a few orders for my new Mouse House and it was such a delight to receive images of their little ones opening their Christmas gifts. It really is a pleasure to create these whimsical houses and to see how happy it makes my little customers.

I was also asked at the start of the year to design a Creative Logo for a new business launching later in the year with products for the home and hound. It was wonderful working with Jill designing the perfect African wild dog for her main logo. Jill now has a fabulous website created by Lisa King selling some lovely products so take a look. I love supporting independent businesses and knowing where their story started.

It was a pretty cold January but the local walks we were having made some great photo’s and we went out every day regardless of the weather whilst home schooling which did us the world of good. I do love to wrap up warm and have a good stomp about and also took any opportunity to get creative with my daughter. My favourite season is Autumn for the woolly jumpers and change of colour when we look out into the garden and across the fields. But January is the month of new beginnings and my birthday, so I was trying to look ahead to what this year would bring.

In February home schooling was full steam ahead, life was beginning to show itself in the garden and it was a lovely few weeks to potter. I had some creative time for me which was really nice to stop for myself and just have some time creating different things too, including a gorgeous dried flower wreath kit bought for my birthday. So lovely in fact my friend bought herself one after she’d seen mine!!!

My daughter and I had many a movie afternoon after a good walk or run, enjoyed the school projects which we could create together all whilst my husband worked upstairs in the back bedroom! It was quite a stressful time for him as he works in sports and was having to do two jobs as his manager had left and help with the hard decision’s many athletes were making about the Olympics.

So as a team our family supports each other with what ever is thrown our way. Letting my husband know I was here, walking, talking and cooking all helped de-stress. We were a very lucky family really through covid and saying daily to our daughter even having the outside space we had was a blessing. None of us had ever experience anything like this before so we were all doing our best.

So I was completely ready to take part in #marchmeetthemaker as I’ve really enjoyed it in the past. I really, really enjoyed it this year and showed off some new work too. It’s a lovely way to refresh you as an artists as well as meeting new artist/makers through Instagram.

We were getting ready to celebrate Easter and my Mums birthday was near the end of the month, bless her though as the first lock down started on her birthday 2020 and here we were again! So I tried to make it as special as I could by meeting at my parents allotment and taking birthday treats with me. Even though we couldn’t hug, to be together and sit outside listening is sometimes all we need. This whole process has made me realise just how much I long for others company and don’t like to be on my own. Makes you stop and think about those that don’t have that option. Loneliness is not nice and I know I don’t enjoy being on my own for too long. I enjoy a bit of me time but also love others company a great deal.

Easter arrived and with this we visited family in Manchester for the first time in over a year. it was wonderful to be together and enjoy each there’s company again after such a long time. Easter was also a little busier for my business with a flurry of sales and nice to enjoy some time with our little girl with no home schooling!

I decided this year to do a little garden transformation because our next house extension will enable us to have a new drive. So I reduced the amount of grass we have for another deep boarder. Already as I write this (three months on) the boarder is looking very established with a few new plants but cuttings from friends and dividing my own.

We were able to meet friend in the Easter holidays which we did and visited favourite places. The weather was still bitterly cold but this didn’t matter, it was so wonderful to be out and about at last. We were watching our seeds growing and my parents helped with lettuce to plant out and pumpkin seeds to grow. We visited Trentham Gardens, Denston and for the first time Renishaw Hall to name a few. I was still running and keeping fit which this year has really helped my mental health.

A new Mouse House order had come through for a little girls birthday present which was a joy to create. And I was also finalising new prints I have been developing to support a charity bringing awareness of Suicide to Derbyshire community. A cause that’s close to my heart and so to support a charity like this was a privilege to have been asked. The Will Garvey Trust is behind the seasonal prints I have designed with quotes the trust themselves wrote. For each print I sell a percent of the profit goes to the charity.

May started with a new Creative Logo commission for a local business. The design was to incorporate a beautiful oat tree which is situated at the bottom of my customers garden. It’s a stunning tree and with a few discussions and sketches we decided on the final design. Emma was delighted and it was a pleasure to create the logo for her little business, The Outwoods Gift Shop.

A thank you to Love Letters by Lillie who I team up with to put the finishing touches to my logos so they can be used digitally. I love supporting other independent businesses and working with them. I have another Creative logo booked in this summer so I’ll look forward to showing you the finished design.

At this point in the year it was time for a holiday! Last year we had a few days away but this year we were ready for a good week away. After various holidays were cancelled due to Covid we decided to enjoy apart of the country we haven’t been to before so went to the New Forest. First a stop off to the Harry Potter Studios which was our daughters Christmas gift and on the third attempt to go!!! We then visited London for the day, enjoyed Kensington and the Science Museum.

The New Forest was wonderful. I thought I’d been as a child and once there walking around it’s stunning forest memories came flooding back. We enjoyed a good five hour walk in the beautiful forest in Brokenhurst where we stayed in a lovely B&B. Visited Lymington, Hurst Castle, ate at The Noisy Lobster which I highly recommend and on the way home visited Hidcote Manor, Chipping Campden very inspiring.

Since the beginning of March we had also decided as a family to have a puppy, a decision we didn’t take lightly and was very considered. We told our daughter as a surprise in April which was amazing as she didn’t think in a million years we would. Bramble, who is a Cockapoo but looks just like a Spaniel with lots of fluff, was collected after our holiday and has been an absolute joy to introduce to our family. The family we bought him from are so loving and what better way to say thank you than an illustration of the puppies!

Bramble is very cute, lots and lots of energy but has really brought that little stark of magic to us all. We are all looking forward to long walks with him, our first holiday in August to Ireshopeburn, Durham and winter evenings by the fire.

In June I decided to take the month off and dedicated it to Bramble to make sure he was settled in his new home. Ironically we had to self isolate after our holiday and as I said to my daughter, things happen for a reason so we took advantage of the time we had and did lots of puppy training!

I enjoyed pottering in the garden because when we arrived home from the New Forest it was absolutely bursting with colour. So blooms needed tending too and we managed to purchase a bench for the front too so we can enjoy the garden and view, on a summers evening.

At Christmas I had a voucher for Kindred and Kind a beautiful business based at Renishaw Hall. Using the old kitchen garden to grow cutting flowers in the boarders, Rhian takes you around them with a pale of water and secateurs explaining about all the varieties of plants. She then brings you back to the main glass house which is covered in vines and vintage finds to demonstrate how to condition your blooms and arrange to take home. So after a second week of isolation for my poor daughter I enjoyed a long mornings workshop with Rhian and am very much looking forward to returning at Christmas to create our wreath.

I also took this time to create some new sketches and plan up and coming workshops. It felt daunting after such a long time not delivering workshops, which does knock your confidence but I know once I was ready giving back to others I’d thoroughly enjoy them again.

So our new life with Bramble has come together nicely. His little personality is brilliant, he’s funny, full of energy, fabulous company and now one of us. In August we are off on our first holiday together with him to the North Pennines as I said before which were really looking forward to. Another part of the country we haven’t enjoyed yet so I’m looking forward to visiting another new area.

So at the start of the year where I wasn’t sure what direction I was going, my little business once again showed me the way. On the 8th July Squirrel at Wellsborough who have supported me throughout the last few years settled on a date for my next workshop. Summer Blooms was delivered on a beautiful summers evening with a lovely group of Ladies who made my first workshop of the year a very enjoyable one.

The weathers been fantastic so we’ve enjoyed lots of walks with Bramble on my own and as a family. Some times it’s been a bit too hot for Bramble as many of you dog lovers will understand! The garden has looked great this year too and in the last few years I have concentrated on having colour all year through which is paying off. So again really enjoying the outdoors.

The end of July saw the start of the summer holidays from school for my daughter. We had a busy first week catching up with friends, visiting lovely National Trusts and seeing family. The end of July really ended on a high for me as my second workshop of the year took place at the Glasshouse, Renishaw Hall collaborating with Rhian from Kindred and Kind. A new collaboration for me which I thoroughly enjoyed. Rhian and I are going to be working together again through the seasons so if you missed this workshop there will be other opportunities again soon.

So the summer looms and it’s time for a break with a bit of work sneaked in! I look forward to writing my next story and sharing with you what the summer and autumn bring.